


Third Time's The Charm

by Leni



Category: Buffy the Vampire Slayer
Genre: Future Fic, Gen, Post-Chosen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-10-09
Updated: 2015-10-09
Packaged: 2018-04-25 13:38:50
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 774
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4962691
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Leni/pseuds/Leni
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Future fic. Dawn and Spike meet at Buffy's grave.</p>
<p><i>warning:</i> not that angsty, really.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Third Time's The Charm

**Author's Note:**

> Written for Foxstarreh at [Comment Fic](http://comment-fic.livejournal.com/329544.html?thread=58799944#t58799944). Prompt: **Comforting one another after Buffy's death.**

Dawn had told herself she would wait until sundown before going home. No graveyard was safe without daylight. But the darkness around her as she opened her eyes told her she'd stayed much longer.

When the hand at her shoulder made to shake her again, she twisted awake and snarled. "Awake already, damnit."

The first sound she heard out of Spike was an exasperated sigh. "You fool," he said next, arms crossed before his chest and a truly annoyed frown on his face. "Your sis would rise from her grave if she knew you were here still."

"Exactly." Dawn shrugged, pulling herself to her feet. Her back ached from the hours snoozing against the marker, and her body temperature lowered uncomfortably as she uncurled herself. She shrugged it all off; it just wasn't important. "And that's why nothing would dare harm me. Just in case."

Spike stared at her for a moment, then at the recently turned earth next to them. And chuckled. "Yes. I'd think about it twice, too."

It was the note of humor that made Dawn relax. Everybody else who'd come to the funeral had treated her as if she were made of glass. They'd spoken of Buffy in mournful whispers, as if it slipped their minds that her sister had been living on borrowed time since she'd been fifteen.

They should have broken out the champagne that Buffy had made it past forty - a record among Slayers.

They _definitely_ should be celebrating that the world hadn't ended two days ago.

Buffy would have told them to get their priorities straight.

"She was happy."

Spike gave her a glance at that non-sequitur.

"She _was_ ," Dawn insisted, as if he'd just contradicted her. "And it wasn't as if she'd stop going into battle any time soon. That's what she _loved_ , helping people. Not watching from the sidelines. Not waiting for the younger girls to do all the work." All the suggestions she'd overheard today, as if what happened could be erased and played over. As if _Buffy_ would change a thing. "If she could take care of it, she got there first."

Spike held up his hands. "Hey, no need to tell me. I was there too. Wouldn't have crossed my mind to tell the Slayer to stay home." Almost twenty years and he still spoke as if Buffy were the only one. He'd never warmed up to the others at all. "She didn't want safety when she could have _results_. Stubborn bitch." But his voice softened despite the spoken insult, and he shook his head. "Damn, but I'll miss her."

Dawn eyed him.

To the best of her knowledge, her sister and Spike were friends, of a sort. If they'd ever become lovers again, after Sunnydale, Buffy had never hinted at it... and since she and Dawn had gotten closer as they'd moved in together, and Dawn had gotten to hear about the occasional encounters with the other vampire in Buffy's love life, that probably meant they hadn't.

Funny, how she'd never thought it'd be Spike standing next to her now.

She should have figured Angel would be too busy patching up whatever loose ends remained - or whatever it took to avoid dealing with the death of yet another of his allies.

"You didn't have to come," she said, angling for nonchalance.

"And miss the fireworks when the rest of the city finds out it's true?" Spike laughed. "Besides, I needed to make sure it would stick this time. What is it, third time is the charm?"

Dawn tapped the marker stone with her foot, pulling Spike's attention down to it. "Yup," she answered.

Despite the darkness, she knew the moment he read the carved words. A soft snort rumbled in his throat, and he glanced up to stare at her, blue eyes dancing in amusement. "You didn't!"

Dawn shrugged. "It seemed appropriate."

The others had gasped incredulously at the same discovery. A few had even suggested more solemn options. As if Buffy needed any of that now - or ever. She had known she'd saved the world, and yes, that she had saved it a lot. She deserved that others knew what it had cost her.

Any hero could claim to battle evil to the death - how many could keep that promise three times?

And if strangers were puzzled by it, so much the better. Buffy had never minded a good joke.

"Dawn..." Spike started, still smiling. "When I'm dusted, don't come anywhere near my ashes. You're a scary one."

"I'm her sister," she said proudly.

He nodded in agreement. "Yeah. Guess it's the same thing."

 

The End  
09/10/15


End file.
